PM DCATS is an organization with a diverse systems portfolio and a global mission consisting of six major programs and more than 130 distinct projects. During his tenure, which began in Oct 2011, COL Richards and his team led the delivery of critical communications capabilities to customers across the globe, including the White House, the National Security Agency, the United States Special Operations Command, and functional and geographic Army Combatant Commands, as well as individual units deployed on battlefields during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Under COL Richards’ leadership during this period, PM DCATS:

achieved Initial Operational Capability for its $800 million Modernization of Enterprise Terminal program, which is a main system in a Department of Defense (DOD) Acquisition Category 1D (Defense Acquisition Board) program that enhances the strategic military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) and Missile Defense capabilities;

supported activation and Full Operational Capability (FOC) of four Wideband Global Satellites, and implemented Wideband Control subsystem upgrades to six global Operation Centers and two Remote Monitoring and Control Elements in Australia that significantly enhanced DOD strategic MILSATCOM capabilities;

achieved FOC for 3,620 Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) and 39,375 Combat Service Support Automated Information Systems Interface (CAISI) systems, establishing the largest global VSAT network in the DOD and providing end-to-end communications support to every Brigade Combat Team in the Army;

implemented FOC for Land Mobile Radio systems at 10 Army installations worldwide, providing a life-saving radio communications backbone in support of First Responders and emergency services personnel; and

achieved Full Rate Production and initial delivery of the new Army/Navy Vehicle Intercom 5 system, providing significantly enhanced intercom capabilities and safety protections for most tactical and wheeled vehicles in the Army and other Services.

COL Richards will be moving to the Defense Contract Management Agency in Crystal City, Va., to serve as the Army Portfolio Director. “It’s been a great honor to serve as Program Manager for DCATS,” he said. “We’re back on track after all the disruptions of the BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure] transfer from New Jersey, and we’ve put together a great team with some robust processes. I am proud of the organization that I am turning over to COL Stein.”

COL Stein enlisted as an infantryman in the Marine Corps in 1982. In 1990, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Quartermaster Corps. He held a variety of command and staff positions before becoming a Product Manager. Since June 2013, COL Stein has served as the Technical Center Deputy Director of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command /Army Forces Strategic Command in Huntsville, Ala.